Ellen's Reformation
by Azurknight
Summary: Sequel to Ellen's Defiance. Another short romance story for Shido and Ellen.


Ellen's reformation

It has been six months since the incident at the hotel and in that time Shido and Ellen had begun dating, but Ellen hasn't fully adjusted to the idea of being together. She insisted on more fancy living conditions and Shido didn't mind as long as she was comfortable. Ellen, for the most part, paid the bills since she insisted on having a job and thanks to some connections Shido had, namely with Ratatoskr, he had helped Ellen get a job as the secretary to the president of a gaming company which paid more than one would expect. Shido helped out a little since Kotori would send him a little money so they could maintain their lifestyle a little better.

Kotori was also helping Shido out by monitoring Ellen's happiness meter and letting Shido know if he was upsetting her since he didn't know her that well. He would avoid talking to Kotori whenever Ellen was close by since she might take it the wrong way if she heard. At the moment, they were eating at an expensive restaurant that had opened today near their new expensive apartment. It was Italian style and Ellen was looking at the menu to decide what she wanted, but Shido wasn't comfortable with the prices since he didn't have much money.

"Uh, Ellen doesn't this place seem a bit too much?"

Ellen just continued looking at her menu as she responded in a normal tone.

"No, and don't worry about money I have plenty of it"

"Yeah but I don't feel right making you pay for it all I mean this place isn't a diner"

"I'm aware Shido but I prefer this kind of place, and I don't mind treating you"

Shido was careful around her since their relationship hadn't gone too far yet and he was serious about trying to make it work and put in a lot of efforts. Kotori would even occasionally give him some lines to say to her to start a conversation but for the most part she just dismiss it unless it came to their daughter Rhoda. At the new apartment, Kotori was babysitting for them and was currently feeding Rhoda some mashed peas with a cup of water. Kotori loved babysitting since Rhoda was a very well behaved baby and was starting to say small sentences. She was even trying to get Rhoda to say her name.

"Can you say aunt Kotori?"

Rhoda's hair had grown a little, she wore a yellow onesie and Ellen even tied her hair with a tiny white ribbon around her short hair.

"Aunn…Kori"

Kotori found it cute that her niece couldn't pronounce words properly except mommy and daddy which everyone found adorable. When they got home from their dinner Shido and Ellen both said hello to Rhoda while Kotori exits the apartment after saying goodbye to Shido. Ellen adored her daughter with all her heart and seeing her always put a smile on her face, and Shido also his loved his daughter and made sure she had everything she needed while Ellen was at work. Since it was now late Ellen went to bed and Shido would stay up and watch TV since he slept on the couch.

Their new apartment was incredibly nice as it was full of expensive furniture and luxury items. Shido slept on the couch because they weren't comfortable sleeping in the same bed yet and Shido insisted that Ellen take the bed when she actually offered to let him have it. But something that Ellen didn't tell Shido is that she had been having nightmares about Isaac and cause her to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat.

Normally Ellen would leave for work at about eight in the morning but today, to her surprise, Shido woke her up and presented her with a tray with food on it: a stack of pancakes with strawberry syrup, a fresh fruit salad, and a cup of coffee. She was confused since normally she would just wake up to have toast and coffee for a quick breakfast before work.

"What is this?"

Shido was smiling as he told her.

"Happy birthday Ellen"

Ellen was surprised since she never told Shido when her birthday was.

"How did you…?"

"I asked your sister"

Ellen was even more surprised and yet a little upset with Shido talking her sister Karen Nora Mathers without her knowledge.

"You talked to Karen!?"

"Well I had to ask around to get in contact with her. Haven't you told her about our daughter?"

Ellen hadn't realized yet, but she hadn't told her sister about her leaving DEM or about Rhoda. But she wasn't ready to talk to her yet.

"Shido I appreciate the thought but…"

Shido hands her a small white box with a pink bow.

"No buts I want you to have a proper birthday. Also, this is from me and Rhoda"

Ellen opens the small box and inside was a hair clip in the shape of a pink dolphin. She didn't particularly like it, but the thought made it precious to her.

"I…love it thank you"

"I was shopping with Rhoda when we saw this and she said Mommy's birday(birthday)"

Ellen was grateful that Shido went to the trouble of finding out her birthday just so she could have a special day. Then he said something else that made her feel a little excited.

"And that's not all Ellen. Tonight when you get home I have something planned for you"

Ellen smiled as she ate her breakfast, which tasted incredible, and afterward she left for work after changing into work clothes and putting on her new hairclip. Her work attire was basically just a blue version of her old uniform. While she wasn't openly admitting it she was really excited for the surprise Shido mentioned to her and she was grateful for the kindness he showed her despite her arrogance when she met him. Ellen didn't mind her new job even though it wasn't as glamorous as her old profession since she could look forward to going home and seeing her daughter and today she was actually looking forward to seeing Shido again. He wasn't a smart, cunning, calculating, or as sarcastic as Isaac was but when she came home to Shido he always greeted her with a smile and a tasty dinner prepared for her.

Shido on the other made the adjustment rather easily due to his kind nature. When they decided to move in together, he had no objections when Ellen suggested they moved into their current apartment despite the costs. He also began trying to cook fancier food to suit Ellen's palette. At the moment, he was working on Ellen's surprise, homemade strawberry shortcake with handmade whipped cream and fresh strawberries. He had spent a week or two trying to get it right just for Ellen because he wanted to make the first birthday he threw for her to be special. He would mix the ingredients while watching their daughter. Shido, after finishing mixing the whipped cream, gave Rhoda a little taste from the mixing spoon which she happily ate.

"You think mommy will like this?"

The eighteen-month-old Rhoda nods her head to her daddy and he smiles.

"Okay then"

Elsewhere in the city Kotori was shopping with Mana for refreshments for the small party that Shido was planning for Ellen but it had a rather short guest list due to the girls having less than desirable reactions to the relationship. The only real guests that are coming are basically Mana and Kotori who were the most accepting of the relationship. Yoshino would have come as well but Ellen kind of scared her a little. The two were rather happy for their brother and wanted him to be happy with Ellen but also noticed that Ellen was beginning to change. She wasn't boasting her skill anymore like she used to and even stopped referring to herself as the world's strongest wizard. She no longer mocks anyone who is clearly inferior to her in any aspect and is warming up to Shido, Kotori was sure of this due to her happiness meter slowly growing.

At her office, Ellen was ready to eat her lunch that was prepared by Shido. Normally it was a high point of her day but today it was an absolute treat since much like her breakfast was special, because while it was her usual lunch made by Shido, he had written happy birthday Ellen in chocolate sauce on her dessert which was homemade flan. As Ellen ate her lunch, she actually started crying tears of joy as she realized something.

" _He's done so much for me, I tried to kill him, I harmed his friends, and I treated him so horribly. Yet he's been so kind to me."_

After Ellen finishes her lunch she continues the rest of the work day, anxious for her boyfriend's surprise. After finishing work, Ellen grabbed her belongings, got it her car, and drove home; her heart was racing nearly the entire time as she made her way to the apartment. She couldn't wait to her boyfriend and daughter and even fantasized about her surprise.

When she got home, Ellen was greeted by Shido who immediately handed her another present and said.

"Happy birthday again Ellen"

Inside the apartment were Kotori, Mana, and Rhoda with a spread of tea, a fresh fruit platter, and a few more presents with a birthday card on the table. Ellen was happy to see this as Shido told her.

"I know it's not much, but I do have one more thing for you."

Shido walks into the kitchen and pulls out a tray with a lid over it and reveals large strawberry shortcake to Ellen with her name written with red icing. Ellen smiled and then opened the second present she got from Shido and it was a gold locket that she can insert a photo in. Ellen clenched it and blushed as she looked at Shido and said in a sweet voice.

"I love it thank you Shido."

Ellen walks closer to Shido and leans in to kiss him and at first it looks like she's about to kiss him on the lips but instead moves to kiss him on the cheek. Shido blushed and said she was welcome, and then everyone starts having tea and eats cake with the fruit. They have a pleasant evening and Ellen opens her two presents from Mana and Kotori which was a new clear sleep-shirt to wear over her white nightgown and a pair of red stilettos for work. Ellen then opened her birthday card and it was simple but what caught her eye was the signature which read "Happy Birthday Ellen, Sincerely your older sister Karen" Ellen was happy to her sister wishing her a happy birthday.

After a nice evening, Ellen put Rhoda to bed and Shido was going to make the couch ready to sleep on, but as he grabbed his blanket and pillow Ellen said.

"Shido, if you want to, you can sleep in the bed with me."

Shido blushed as he responded.

"Are you sure Ellen?"

Ellen nods her head and Shido follows her into the bedroom. They then simply get under the pearl white sheets of the bed lying next to each other and fall asleep. In the middle of the night, Ellen was having a nightmare of Isaac again; the dream was of him basically berating her about her failure as a wizard and about how she abandoned her duties to him, and there is sometimes a twisted version of it where she is forced to watch him murder her daughter. Ellen woke up in the middle of the night as usual in a cold sweat, but this time her face was pressed against Shido's chest with his arms around her body, and he wakes up as well and asks her.

"So did have a nightmare?"

Ellen blushed as she answered.

"Yes, is that why you have your arms around me?"

"Yeah, I thought that maybe if you had someone close to you, then you'd have better dreams."

Ellen then put her arms around him and then said something to him that she genuinely believed at this point.

"Shido…I think you're too good for me."

Shido was a little confused

"What?"

"I mean you're sweet, generous, modest, and overall amazing. Yet I'm so arrogant, boastful, and cruel so I've come to the conclusion that you are too good a person to be with someone like me."

Shido shakes his head.

"No way Ellen, Ever since we've started dating, you've never once boasted your power, I haven't seen you act cruel to anyone, and you even saved my life remember?"

Ellen remembers the day that Isaac attacked the hotel and how he disappeared, but also remembers pulling Shido to safety, but then she says.

"I only did that because you were holding Rhoda."

Shido shakes his head again.

"I don't believe that because you could have just let me fall and taken her without helping me. Ellen, you're not the person who kidnapped Tohka and tried to kill me, you're a mother and damn good one and frankly I wouldn't mind being your husband."

Ellen blushed like a strawberry.

"My…husband?"

"Of course, and you want to hear my opinion on something?"

"What?"

"I think you look incredible with your hair down like that."

Ellen slept with her hair untied and this was the first time Shido really saw this since she always came out of the bedroom dressed for work and he didn't pay much attention while she was equipped with her realizer. Ellen then leans in to kiss him, but this time actually kisses him on the lips this time and says.

"When you propose, I'll definitely say yes."

After saying that, Ellen falls asleep with Shido's arms still wrapped around her with a peaceful smile on her face. After that night, Ellen stopped having to nightmares of Isaac; she also kept her hair untied for Shido and eventually they got married.

Twelve years later, Ellen became the president of the very gaming company that she used to be a secretary for, and bought a nice house where Shido actually took up gardening to have fresher ingredients for the meals he cooked for his wife and two children. At the moment, Shido and Ellen were celebrating the success of Ellen's company at the restaurant they went to on the day of its opening. Shido proposed a toast to his wife's success.

"Congratulations Ellen, you've done so well."

They raise their glasses to each other and sip some wine. Then Ellen adds with a smile.

"Well if I didn't have your support Shido, then I doubt I could have done it."

"Well I'm happy to be there for you."

Ellen had changed so much in the last decade that anyone who knew her previously would never recognize her. Shido did keep one thing from her this night; that he had prepared a cake for her, the same one that she loved on the first birthday he threw for her. The two had a very successful marriage and Ellen continued to wear the pink hair clip and the locket which she kept a photo of their family inside as a memento of her changed life.


End file.
